State Ethics panel: Probable cause in Hardeeville complaint

COLUMBIA -- The South Carolina State Ethics Commission has found probable cause to move forward with Scott Ready’s complaint against the Hardeeville Municipal Election Commission’s attempt to keep him off the ballot.

On Election Day, May 8, Scott Ready prevailed in his bid for City Council. But it’s been an eventful journey for the Hilton Head Lakes resident, and on Wednesday, the state ethics agency ensured his journey isn’t over.

In March the Hardeeville Municipal Election Commission disqualified Ready because of an error he made on his Statement of Economic Interest form, which is a public reporting requirement intended to provide transparency about a candidate’s financial status and potential conflicts of interest.

On April 3 Fourteenth Judicial Circuit Judge Carmen Mullen tossed out Ready’s disqualification and allowed him to be a candidate in the May 8 city elections. On March 16, Ready appealed the issue to the State Ethics Commission, arguing, in part, that the local election commission’s earlier decision to disqualify him had been marred by a conflict of interest.

Joyce Meeks, local election commission chair, is the mother-in-law of Roy Powell. If Ready had not run, there would have been no election for City Council and Michael Sweeney and Powell would have won re-election by virtue of being the only contenders.

On May 8, voters chose Ready and Sweeney, and did not re-elect Powell.

Ready’s struggles have not gone unnoticed.

On March 27, Comedy Central’s “Indecision” blog dove into the controversy.

“But there’s more than a mere write-in campaign brewing down in Hardeeville (population 2,952): Ready is also calling for an investigation into the Hardeeville Election Commission, which just so happens to be chaired by the mother-in-law of his opponent,” states the post.

“Talk about small-town intrigue! Then again, aren’t all mothers-in-law the same, what with their constant nagging for pictures of their grandchildren, or grandchildren to have pictures of, and potential election violations?”